| Mar 2, 2007 5th Noyori Prize Ceremony Held |
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The award ceremony for the Ryoji Noyori Prize, sponsored by Takasago
International, was held at a hotel in Tokyo on February 22, 2007 at
the annual general meeting of the Society of Synthetic Organic
Chemistry, Japan (SSOCJ). The chairman of the SSOCJ, Takeshi Nakai,
presented the recipient, Professor David A. Evans of the Department
of Chemistry and Chemical Biology at Harvard University, with a
certificate, medallion, and cash award of $10,000. Professor Evans has made significant advances in the design of stereoselective reactions and the applications of these reactions to natural products synthesis. In particular, enantioselective Diels-Alder, Michael, and aldol reactions are three of the important families of processes developed in his research group. Professor Evans' chiral auxiliaries and chiral catalysts for enantioselective bond formation are widely used in both industrial and academic laboratories throughout the world. In his speech, Ryoji Noyori praised the greatness of Professor Evans with these words: "David Evans is a giant in organic synthesis of our days, developing various fundamental stereoselective reactions and achieving total synthesis of complex natural products. I am unable to describe the enormous impact of his discoveries even briefly. Many people say that without David Evans organic chemistry would be a much less advanced scientific discipline than it is today." Professor Noyori also regaled the audience with stories of the two, including a photo from their first meeting in 1980. The purpose of the Noyori Prize is to recognize and encourage outstanding contributions to research in asymmetric synthetic chemistry defined in its broadest sense, without regard to age or nationality. The prize is sponsored by Takasago International Corporation, and was established by the Society of Synthetic Organic Chemistry, Japan, to commemorate Professor Ryoji Noyori's 2001 Nobel Prize in Chemistry as well as the 60th anniversary of SSOCJ. Past Recipients 2002 Professor Henri B. Kagan (Universite de Paris-Sud) |
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